DE newbie with a muhler r41

[Jakebullet]

4 passes is my passion too.

1. With the grain.
2. Across x2 from ear to ear
3. Against the grain.
4. Touch ups.

When doing step 4 I tend to over shave many areas for the absolute BBS and then I get razor burn that hurts..

I must stop it. Stupid move. But I love BBS.

I feel your pain, I’m addicted to the BBS too. My strike rate is rubbish but that’s ok, we’re perfectionists and sometimes we over do it, ( I actually overdo it often) and it’s odd but when I overdo it I get a much less close shave.

 

[Jakebullet]

Bought some Proraso Green shaving soap yesterday. Hot day predicted today so I tried it this morning.
Its softer in the tub than I expected, not quite a cream but not too hard. It’s nice and rich on lathering and it gives plenty of lather so you don’t need much. I shook most of the free water from the brush, loaded it for about for 20 seconds and did a face lather.
It gives a lovely thick lather and a great cooling sensation on the face which gets stronger with each pass.
Passes 2 and 3 we’re really slick as I got used to the correct amount of water needed and it’s given me a lovely shave with a nice soft face afterwards. I had enough left in the brush for a few more passes if I needed it.
This is great stuff and a great price and I really like how cold it left my face. Finished with a cold rinse which felt quite icy then Proraso Green aftershave, great start to a hot day.

 

[RandySp]

I feel your pain, I’m addicted to the BBS too. My strike rate is rubbish but that’s ok, we’re perfectionists and sometimes we over do it, ( I actually overdo it often) and it’s odd but when I overdo it I get a much less close shave.

Yes, and you know why you get a closer shave when overdoing it?

Because you have already pass the razor from there and when you overdo it you can't go anymore in the same area because it hurts and it is ready to bleed.

 

[GearNoir]

Bought some Proraso Green shaving soap yesterday. Hot day predicted today so I tried it this morning.
Its softer in the tub than I expected, not quite a cream but not too hard. It’s nice and rich on lathering and it gives plenty of lather so you don’t need much. I shook most of the free water from the brush, loaded it for about for 20 seconds and did a face lather.
It gives a lovely thick lather and a great cooling sensation on the face which gets stronger with each pass.
Passes 2 and 3 we’re really slick as I got used to the correct amount of water needed and it’s given me a lovely shave with a nice soft face afterwards. I had enough left in the brush for a few more passes if I needed it.
This is great stuff and a great price and I really like how cold it left my face. Finished with a cold rinse which felt quite icy then Proraso Green aftershave, great start to a hot day.

Green is the bomb! It’ll be even better come summer!

 

[RandySp]

I was curious why many gents here find this Proraso Soap Green not so slick.

For me it glides and protects perfectly!
Great scent also!

 

[GearNoir]

I was curious why many gents here find this Proraso Soap Green not so slick.

For me it glides and protects perfectly!
Great scent also!

Good question! I think it’s mostly the fact that they’ve found what they feel is a better version in other products. I enjoy Proraso products and the value they provide, but for those into artisan soaps and higher quality products at slightly more premium prices (though price doesn’t necessarily indicate either in some cases), there are slight increases in performance that can be had.

 

[RandySp]

Yeah I agree!

I also have some artisans PAA, P&B and surely perform better than Proraso.

That does not mean that Proraso is low quality or something. Excellent choice even for an experienced shaver.

I could easily now find which soap is better from another but when I was in the beginning of wet shaving I thought all products did the same job!

 

[Jakebullet]

I’m only new to all this but I’ve found that trying all these different products available is lots of unexpected fun.
The difficulty I’ve found is restraining myself from filling my bathroom with products, my girl is already going mad that i now have more products than her!
But I think I’ve bought carefully and with purpose.
To get a BBS with the R41 and my limited technique, the key thing I need from a cream is slickness.
I need to be able to re-do areas I’ve missed without dryness and without completely re lathering. Nice lathering is usually a given so my second consideration is usually a nice scent.
I should just say that I found face lathering seems to bring out the best in every cream I’ve tried.
My first was maca root which was a great starting cream, it smells clean, is very slick and cushioning and leaves the face smooth and soft. But the smell while nice is a bit uninspiring so I kept looking.
Next I tried TOBS sandalwood because I loved the scent but didn’t really like the cream as I found it not very slick and my face always felt dry after the shave. So I kept looking.
I bought menrock Sicilian Lime on a whim while out shopping and found this to be very nice smelling and good and slick and I’ve had some great shaves with it, but I still wanted a touch more slickness to make up for my technical shortfalls, so I kept looking.
Meanwhile I’d ordered samples of TOBS Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime and Eton College and found all to be great but the Eton College was the slickest on my face and it has a great citrussy scent.
So I ordered some and it’s my go to cream now, slicker than all my others and great smelling, it gives me great shaves.
But I’d never tried a soap.
So I bought the Proraso Green as I already had the AS and loved the strange cooling effect.
I’ve only used it once but was really impressed with it. Its fun to lather, voluminous, slick, comfortable, soothing and cooling and great smelling all in one package I’d say it’s one of the best if not the best and the best value for money by miles. It’s so nice that my others won’t get a look in this week.
Next thing I need to try is a hard soap.

 

[RandySp]

Ok. Need something classy and slick as ice?

St James of London. I suggest the Black Pepper & Lime scent and you are noble.

 

[Jakebullet]

Ok. Need something classy and slick as ice?

St James of London. I suggest the Black Pepper & Lime scent and you are noble.

Thanks for that suggestion it has some great reviews so I’ll put it on my list

 

[Jakebullet]

I’ve been meaning to try this 1920’s Gillette Old Type since it arrived a week ago. So I’ve just cleaned my R41 and put it on the shelf for the first time since I bought it. I’ve loaded an Astra SP into the Gillette and hung it on my stand ready to try tomorrow morning after my shower. This will be my 2nd DE razor and I’m going to use it for travel as it comes in a great little case so I’m looking forward to seeing a) how it shaves nearly a century after it was made and b) how it compares to the brilliant R41. I’ll keep you posted.

 

[GearNoir]

Great set!

 

[cyberdog]

Very nice condition, my Old Type is NOWHERE as nice looking, and has a handle with hair-line cracks on both sides. If the cap is as nice looking as the handle and plate, you did really well.

The OLD Types are fairly mild and smooth, but give pretty good results. I don't use mine much, but it's pretty good shaver.

 

[Jakebullet]

Very nice condition, my Old Type is NOWHERE as nice looking, and has a handle with hair-line cracks on both sides. If the cap is as nice looking as the handle and plate, you did really well.

The OLD Types are fairly mild and smooth, but give pretty good results. I don't use mine much, but it's pretty good shaver.

Thanks a lot I’m looking forward to using it. The cap isn’t as pretty as the rest of it, it’s lost it’s mirror finish and is duller compared to the underside but for its age it’s in great nick.
No cracks in the handle.
If I like it I’m thinking of having the whole thing restored, razor and case re-plated and case re-lined. Does anyone know of a rough cost in pounds?

 

[Jakebullet]

Tried my Gillette old type this morning.
Much lighter in the hand than my R41.
It was nice and smooth to shave with and gave a good shave especially considering it’s age.
First impressions are that it was nice and smooth and much more forgiving than the R41 but the forgiveness comes at a price, and that price is closeness.
It’s just not as effective at cutting my stubble. It also needs rinsing more than the muhle as the smaller head and gap fills with lather quicker.
I did 3 very comfy passes but found it hard to get the beard as close as I’m used to and I was tempted to go on fiddling through the touch up pass but the R 41 has taught me to never fiddle so I stopped. Face was really nice with no redness, rash, cuts or irritation but just not as close as I’m used to. Nice cold splash then Proraso Green to finish.
5 hours after my shave and my beard has come back to the touch though not really to the eye. If I’d shaved with the R41 I’d get another 4-5 hours before it got to this stage.
So first impressions are that it’s a nice, really smooth, non too risky razor which was a pleasure to shave with and it’ll do just fine for my weekends away. I’ll have to dial in my technique a bit before I can make a fair assessment but it won’t be replacing my R41 which is so much heavier and more serious and really cuts so much closer and cleaner.

 

[Jakebullet]

Been thinking of trying a feather blade in my Gillette Old Type to compensate for it being less effective than my R41 but I must confess to a little trepidation as the last time I used a feather in my R41 for three days I nearly bled out
My hope is that the feather won’t be so dangerous in the Gillette but only time will tell.
Anyone else tried this blade with this razor?

 

[Jakebullet]

I had a strange week.
After trying my Gillette Old Type on Monday, I went back to the R41 Tuesday with a new Astra but didn’t get a very good shave. Nothing too unusual. Next day was the same the shave was just not as close as usual. Then same the next day too. This was a little unusual as I generally get bbs or close pretty much every time. I Thought it was maybe a bad blade so put in a Gillette yellow yesterday which is always a close shave but again smooth but not bbs close and a few missed bits and got a few nicks. Maybe I wasn’t not concentrating enough, or maybe being just a little too gentle with it after trying my Gillette Old.
I had made a few adjustments to my technique recently which maybe weren’t paying off.
I’d been face lathering and maybe wasn’t using enough water? Or too much?
I was racking my brains as 4 rubbishy shaves in a row was very unusual and annoying.
Today I used Proraso soap but applied it a little less thickly.
I was using a day old Gillette yellow and held my face under the shower for longer than usual.
I decided to keep it simple so used very short strokes keeping everything methodical. Being careful to not just remove lather but to cut hair.
I really took my time on pass one and did a good job. Pass two, lather not too thick, again nice short strokes paying attention to every centimetre of skin but no pressure. The lather is lovely and slick I make my skin slicker by running a wet finger over the area after the razor. This keeps the razor gliding for me.
Pass 3 atg, again great care being taken to not miss anywhere and to nail the direction of the stubble but to do it smoothly. On the knife edge of cutting as deeply as possible as smoothly as possible.
Hot rinse then cold rinse. ICY!
Just 5 or 6 drops of Proraso Green AS and rubbed it in. Nice and cooling.
I had a slight nick or two here and there but otherwise I got a brilliant shave BBS everywhere except my neck which is a nuisance anyway. My top lip is closer than ever and no redness.
I think the combination of thinner lather and more prep really helped but the main improvement was my accuracy and technique. Maybe I’d got complacent and wasn’t concentrating letting my technique err in all directions from my lather making right through to my post shave.
Anyway I’m really happy that the problem seems to be solved and a good reminder for me to concentrate on a lovely pleasure, to live in the moment for that half hour and not let outside thoughts ruin my ‘me’ time.

 

[Jakebullet]

When I first started shaving with the muhle I always used a blade 3 times and I sometimes noticed a drop off on the blade on day 3 pass 3. As my technique has improved I now notice it more and more so I’ve started changing them after 2 shaves I mean, why have a dull shave 3 just to save three pence?
I also find that sticking with the same brand for too many shaves causes a drop off in good shaves, probably as I get complacent so I’ve been alternating between a few I like, mostly Astra SP and Gillette 7oclock yellows with the odd Polsilver SI and GSB thrown in.
Going back to the Astra for example after a week on the yellows makes me really appreciate the Astra and vice versa.
When I started I always felt blades were smoother on use two and quite rough on use one.
This has gone away completely over the last few months and I now find a brand new blade to be the best by a long way. Funny how that’s changed.
My face got a few nicks yesterday so I thought I’d try a two pass shave today xtg and atg. I’ve only done this once before back on maybe my 2nd ever shave.
The noise of the razor cutting on the sideways pass one was very pronounced which made me realise just how effective that usual first pass wtg really is. A nice but definitely rougher first xtg pass then a usual agt pass and a touch up.
It’s a great shave and my battle scarred face felt much better having to deal with one less pass today. Again just a few drops of AS and I feel good.
I find that my face likes it best when I leave it ever so slightly damp after a shave then just a little splash of aftershave and rub it in well.
If I use a decent amount of AS my face feels dry and a bit sticky.
Anyway, just a little update on my findings.

 

[Jakebullet]

I hadn’t tried a Polsilver Super Iridium for a few months so I lathered up with Menrock Sicilian Lime this morning and loaded the Polsilver.
I’d forgotten how great these blades are for my face, it effortlessly cut through everything my stubble could throw at it and never once stalled or caught the hair, it just sliced through as though it wasn’t there. The blade is very very sharp and it’s also very very smooth and it’s left my face bbs and in great condition. Even my tricky neck area is bbs. Compared to the yellows and the Astra I’ve been using this is sharper and smoother than both, I feel a bulk buy coming on

 

[GearNoir]

Good shaves @Jakebullet!